Helmet internals cut to size question

**Nat** · 16th March 2015, 19:34

Hey, so my wife bought a helmet, and it turns out that it doesn't fit her right. We've taken it back to the shop but it's been worn a heap of times so there's no way we can return it.

I'm considering shaving a few millimetres of the polystyrene from the front of the helmet to make it fit her properly. If I'm really careful it'd only be a millimetre or so.

Does anyone out there have any opinions on whether this would have any impact on her safety and the integrity of the helmet?

Just thinking of our options - would prefer not to have to buy another helmet!

**mossy1200** · 16th March 2015, 19:44

Originally Posted by Nat

Hey, so my wife bought a helmet, would prefer not to have to buy another helmet!

Baste wifes head in leather conditioner 3 times daily until it softens up and moulds into the shape of the helmet.

**buggerit** · 16th March 2015, 19:57

Take helmet to town and find more suitable wife

**nerrrd** · 16th March 2015, 20:11

Originally Posted by Nat

Hey, so my wife bought a helmet, and it turns out that it doesn't fit her right. We've taken it back to the shop but it's been worn a heap of times so there's no way we can return it.

I'm considering shaving a few millimetres of the polystyrene from the front of the helmet to make it fit her properly. If I'm really careful it'd only be a millimetre or so.

Does anyone out there have any opinions on whether this would have any impact on her safety and the integrity of the helmet?

Just thinking of our options - would prefer not to have to buy another helmet!

I've had to do something similar to the last 4 helmets I've owned (I seem to have a bulge on the bridge of my forehead, might have been a unicorn in a past life). I use sandpaper on the polystyrene so as not to compress it anymore than necessary and just take a little off at a time, wearing it in between times to gauge the result.

Haven't tested the effect of this in a crash so far, but I'm happy enough to wear them.

Having said all of that, you're really better off buying a helmet that fits off the shelf if you can find one - maybe sell the old one on Trademe.

**Tazz** · 16th March 2015, 20:26

Doubt it. Shell sizes are almost always the same and the manufacture just adjusts the internal padding etc for size.

If it was a different shell for each size then I'd imagine a few mm off would be critical.

**FJRider** · 16th March 2015, 20:49

Originally Posted by Nat

Hey, so my wife bought a helmet, and it turns out that it doesn't fit her right.

Your wife bought a helmet that didn't fit her right.

And you believe it's the shops fault .. ????????????

Originally Posted by Nat

We've taken it back to the shop but it's been worn a heap of times so there's no way we can return it.

Did THIS occur to you before you took it back to the shop. Or did it take a staff member to point it out to you ... ???

Originally Posted by Nat

I'm considering shaving a few millimetres of the polystyrene from the front of the helmet to make it fit her properly. If I'm really careful it'd only be a millimetre or so.

Does anyone out there have any opinions on whether this would have any impact on her safety and the integrity of the helmet?

What you do to her helmet is yours (and HER) business. But it has been done before. Integrity is more to do with the outer shell.

Originally Posted by Nat

... would prefer not to have to buy another helmet!

I agree ... your purchasing skills do leave a little to be desired ...

**Berries** · 16th March 2015, 21:48

Sell it on Trade Me at a loss and buy one that actually fits, your head is quite important. The polystyrene is there for a reason, it is a certain thickness for a reason. Just get her a new one, tell her that her arse does not look big in it and you'll be sweet.

Imagine if she ever crashes with that helmet and suffers head injuries. It's not worth it.

**Big Dog** · 17th March 2015, 12:05

Buy a new helmet. Less than the cost of burying a wife or worse wiping her arse for the rest of her life.

I have a lifelong head injury because I delayed by a day wearing a bicycle helmet. Drugs every day, missing memories, sporadic dyslexia, issues with licensing. Not worth it.

Still want to be cheap? Take the lining out and roll a spoon over the affected area.
Surface tension is just as important as thickness for the polystyrene. Sanding it affects weight distribution.

Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

**pritch** · 17th March 2015, 13:32

I know a guy who had to alter his helmets to fit by whacking the lining with a hammer where it was too tight. Presumably because he wanted to wear the brand that he could get at a good discount rather than buying somewhere else.

Reminds me of a story I have mentioned hereabout previously. At work years ago, a guy who had just purchased a vintage Harley asked where he could get a real cheap helmet.
I gave him the usual, "If you've got a $10.00 head, wear a $10.00 helmet."
He said, "No, it's not for me - it's for the wife."

**Scuba_Steve** · 17th March 2015, 14:29

If it's just a mil or 2, shave the wifes head. Easy fix

Or even better I hear mohawks are all the rage nowadays... everyone looks better with a mohawk

**AllanB** · 17th March 2015, 21:25

I'm most concerned about your use of the words 'wife' and 'head'. I am sure you could use them in a more satisfactory manner.

**p.dath** · 18th March 2015, 06:47

It will obviously have an impact on the safety of the helmet. The outer shell distributes the energy of a crash around the outside, while the inner foam attempts to absorb energy that travels through the helmet before it enters the head and brain.

How much of an impact on safety is hard to determine.

I wouldn't personally mess with it.